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Japanese F-35 fighter goes missing over the Pacific

Officials said the single-engine jet from Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force was on a training flight with three other F-35s when contact was lost Tuesday evening, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The planes, based at Misawa Air Base on the northern tip of the main Japanese island of Honshu, were about 135 kilometers (84 miles) off the east coast of Aomori prefecture when contact was lost, officials said.

The pilot of the single-seat fighter is missing, and a search is underway, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry.

No problems with the aircraft were reported before it went missing, NHK reported.